


The Benefits of Table Flipping

by ECCougar



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25234216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ECCougar/pseuds/ECCougar
Summary: Fostering a healthy appetite is far more taxing than one would expect - even for a butler of mythological proportions!Rated for blood.Officially beta'd by WCCougarBeta, applied 7/15/20
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	The Benefits of Table Flipping

More oft than not, the sound of shattering fine bone china was something that didn't concern himself. He was fairly desensitized to it after all this time sharing métier with the three meat heads that attended to the household needs. Mei-Rin's eye sight with those damnable and completely useless glasses had taken care of an entire set of Grindley flow blue patterned fine bone china set in a matter of seconds. She had tripped over her own feet, one shoe having been untied, and wrecked the tea set she had begun to remove from the cabinet. In her vain attempt to catch herself from falling, she had snatched at the lace that settled the rest of the set in the wood glass cabinet hoping for purchase on the sturdy wood. Instead, she pulled the rest of the dinette set down with her.

It was a set that had been purchased from Newfield Pottery, specially ordered when the young master had taken to the flow blue pattern while out and about solving one of the Queen's many issues in her kingdom. They had been gracious enough to gift a new set, this with copper brush stroke techniques that set the blue deeper and more beautiful than the original set. It was a simple nod to the Queen's Guard Dog in respect of his position. Sebastian found himself reminiscing on the trip fondly. It was to investigate a poisoning of the wells in the area.

Back to the matter at hand, though. _This_ shattering had come from the master's study. It didn't sound like an entire set, more just a couple of sets of cups and saucers. He made his way unhurriedly to the study, taking mental notes for repairs and cleanings as he walked the corridor. Pausing at the door to the study, he about faced. Through the ornately carved wooden door he could hear uncouth swearing and the occasional stomp. He was about to knock softly on the door when he heard a great crash that was most definitely a porcelain teapot finding its death on the floor. This followed with more cursing and a loud thud that resulted in a cry of pain.

'Bother.'

He pushed the door open and found an amusing scene at play. It appeared as though The Young Master had made a mess of his study. The large stained oak desk was still in place, but the stubborn master Ciel was curled in on the matching chair holding one foot with the tiniest droplet at the corner of his eye. He hissed in pain as he rubbed his aching foot. The source of the thud, Sebastian gathered. To the right, on the floor, were the shattered remains of the Rhine pattern teacups and saucers he had placed only an hour earlier for morning tea. Papers were scattered over the surface of the young master's desk, some having floated in a mess on the floor. The now smashed teapot he had just heard crash to the floor was directly before the desk in large pieces.

"Now young master. Whats all this mess?" Sebastian tutted. His master's eye swiveled to meet his in annoyance.  
"Who told you you were allowed to enter." He grunted, still clutching his left foot. Sebastian crossed one arm over his chest and bowed.  
"My apologies young master, I shall send Finnian and Mei-Rin to come clean the mess up in my stead. I will also inform them they should knock before entering." He answered, stilled bowed as he backed toward the door. Sebastian didn't have to see his young master's face to know his exasperation had deepened.  
"No, don't send them. Clean this up then." He hissed, still rubbing his tender foot. Sebastian nodded and went about picking the larger pieces up and collecting them in the nearby waste bin.  
"Shall I inquire what has the young master's wrath today? You do know, this means we have a new tea set to order. Again." The incident to which he referred with Mei-Rin occurring only just yesterday. Which meant now two tea sets were required to ensure they were prepared to receive guests. One never knew when Lady Midford would drop in, let alone Master Soma and his manservant Agni. Not that they weren't unwelcome. He just hated being unprepared for company.  
"It is none of your concern, Sebastian." Ciel clipped. Sebastian retrieved a dustpan and brush for the small bits still left on the floor. Mei-Rin would need to remove the rug from the room and have it cleaned of the smaller pieces, Sebastian noted.  
"Shall I look at your foot young master? It seems to be in terrible pain." Sebastian inquired. Ciel looked on him warily, but sighed.  
"If you aren't going to get out, I suppose so. Hurry up."

Sebastian rose slowly and stalked to the desk where the boy now sat petulantly, arms crossed. Kneeling again, this time before the young master he began to untie Ciel's shoe with long, deft fingers. He pulled the polished black leather off his master's foot, and gently palmed the heel of the boy's foot as he peeled the sock over his ankle. The young master hissed as both the shoe and the sock came over his big toe, and Sebastian studiously turned the boy's ankle with the heel he'd palmed. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a scuff mark on the desk, and that it had been moved just a hair out of place. He smirked, noting the bruising on poor Master's big toe.  
"It seems young master lost a fight with a desk. Badly. There is a terrible bruise on your toe and your ankle seems to be swelling. Why ever did you decide to kick the desk?"  
Ciel gave a very un-lordly snort.

"New orders from the Queen dictating a new move back into the city from the country estate. I hate that house." Master griped. "We only just returned from the town home. Noble season is in full swing for the holidays and the trip alone is exhausting. The city stinks."  
It was an opinion Sebastian agreed wholeheartedly with. Human filth had penetrated every inch of the city and was no place for a pure young lord such as his Master. While country life could be tedious and filled with work, it was quieter and occasionally more pleasant when the staff were not breaking everything in the house. Sebastian rang for Tanaka. The old butler appeared a few moments later.

"Can I help you, master?"  
"Do go and get a wrap and an icepack for the young master. He seems to have twisted his ankle."  
Tanaka nodded and disappeared from the door.  
"I can understand your frustrations, young Master."  
A tiny splish rang in Sebastian's ear. His eyes widened, now noticing a small rivulet of blood drops rolling off the chair. Gently setting the young master's foot back down he followed the small droplet. Time seemed to slow as he went on this journey, watching it slope down the arm of the chair, pooling into a fat globule. It then fell, so fast yet teasingly slow, making a small sound barely perceptible to the human ear. Sebastian had gone still in his observation, and the young master had noticed.  
Master Ciel turned over his left hand, where there was indeed a cut to the palm.

"Oh, my dear young Master..." Sebastian's eyes flashed, melting into an intense, glowing red. "How ever did you manage this?"  
The young boy flustered and looked away, mumbling something Sebastian wouldn't have caught had he not devilishly good hearing. Sebastian chuckled, a velvety sound that rolled over most like a downy cat. He brought the small hand to his mouth and gazed upon at his master through thick lashes.

"If I may administer first aid to the cut, Young master?" He questioned softly, tongue sweeping his lips.  
"Do what you must." The boy nodded once, breathless.

Sebastian leaned closer, inspecting, breath warm on the boys hand and mouth watering. He vaguely registered the rolling growl in his stomach as he used the thumb of his right hand to push into the thenar region of the boy's hand. His Master's blood had begun to pool faster in his palm. Sebastian marveled at the black sheen his blood took on the thicker it got. He considered using young master's hand as a cup and drink down the entirety of what was about to spill on the floor. He licked his lips again, now so close to his prize that one flick of his tongue nearly touched the mirror of black. The tang was a hissing cymbal raking over his appendage, and the hunger he'd been purposefully neglecting these past years reared as a screaming, dark horse.

Sebastian pressed his pocket square onto the cut. It soaked through, and quenched the blood flow. Tanaka rapped softly on the door, and Sebastian welcomed him.  
"I noticed broken porcelain and brought bandages in case of any injuries."  
"Wise Tanaka. Thank you for your consideration."  
Sebastian made short work of dressing the wound on Ciel's palm, then wrapped and propped his young masters twisted ankle. Once he'd made the young master comfortable at his desk, Sebastian set Mei-Rin to the task of removing rugs and cleaning while he went about pulling a new tea set as he simultaneously began a pot of black masala chai tea to bring in. Cinnamon cookies were finishing as he poured warm milk into the chai and set about prettying the silver tea wares.

Once he had completed his task, he was gliding back down the corridor to the study once more. As before, a clatter drew him toward the study. This time, the door was not shuttered, and the noise was coming from an equally flustered Mei-Rin and Finnian; Finian, who was trying to unroll Mei-Rin from the rug she'd somehow managed to get herself tangled up in. Sebastian deftly rolled one way, spun another and managed to place the wares before young Ciel, undamaged. Then again, he'd also chosen the use of silver versus china as not to break another set.  
"I hate silver. It changes the taste of the tea." The young master griped before grabbing a cookie and nibbling. Once he took a sip of warm chai he seemed to be snug where he was, reading back over the most recent case files he'd been sent that Sebastian had reorganized from the floor.

"Do take the maid outside with the rug, beat them both if you would, Finian." Sebastian said off handedly as he finished.  
"Yes sir, right away s-sir!" Finnian saluted, dragging the struggling maid out and down the hall to the laundry room.  
"Also, young master, it would do well to pick another two tea sets to replace the broken ones... And the next time you feel the urge to flip a table, might I suggest looking into a boxing teacher, or a round of hunting?"  
Ciel shot him a dirty glance before returning to the task at hand, nibbling at the cinnamon cookie.  
"Very good, young master." Sebastian bent at the waist briefly and excused himself. He could hear Finnian down the opposite of the corridor, still struggling with the roll of Mei-Rin rug. He passed by Tanaka on his way down to his quarters. Once he passed the door frame of the room the master had designated for him, he paused at its center. Staring off in the distance, he pulled the stained pocket square from his pant pocket. The brilliant beautiful red had dulled into a rusty brown. It was truly a shame. He hoped with time, it would fade again, this time to the endless pool of black he kept seeing in the boy's wounds.

He held the dirtied square to his nose and inhaled, mouth again watering. It took everything not to suck on the delicious meal that had been presented before him. He took one last drag before taking the sullied pocket square and dropping it in a large glass jar with others just like it. Sebastian smiled to himself. His restraint amplified that hunger he'd been cultivating. It was a garden of wolfsbane, a huddle of Venus flytraps snapping shut on nothing. Look, smell, touch, but do not taste. He stared at the large gallon sized glass jar and swept his tongue over his bottom lip one last time. Spinning, he stalked out of the room and closed the door quietly. Another crash could be heard reverberating through the manor. He sighed to himself and checked his silver pocket watch; they were coming up to dinner time, and this evening they had young master's fiancé Elizabeth to accommodate.

Sebastian began a new list of everything that would need to be done in preparation - including cleaning the new mess upstairs sans glass. While Sebastian enjoyed whetting his appetite with a fresh set of torture, there was no need to upset the young master over the harm of his fiancé in the process. Resolved in the new list, he set about completing his goals. He was, after all, a hell of a butler.

**Author's Note:**

> I love feedback, short or long. I do hope you enjoyed.


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